Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has taken councillors to task to prioritize the availability of water in Harare communities before it leads to disease outbreaks.
The City of Harare shut down the Morton Jeffery Water Treatment works citing shortage of treatment chemicals.
In a statement, HRT highlighted that council’s top management and councillors are travelling and spending money at the expense of water availability.
“Despite the life-threatening water shortages and claims of low revenue collection, top management and councillors are taking turns to organise trips to Victoria Falls, Masvingo, Mutare, Kadoma and Bulawayo where they pay each participant large sums of allowances plus fuel coupons,” read the statement.
HRT said this showed that the water crisis is not a priority to them.
HRT called upon the government to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.
“The government’s intervention should be guided by the Constitution of Zimbabwe which recognises the oversight role of the national government over local authorities. Without delay, the government should allow the council to purchase water treatment chemicals from the most competent suppliers.
“The current situation where the government wants council to buy water treatment chemicals from companies that are linked to the government is unhelpful and detriment to the provision of water in the Harare Province,” read the statement.
HRT also urged the council to invest by renovating their community halls and using them as meeting venues to cut unnecessary costs.
In an interview with 263Chat, councillor for ward 16, Denford Ngadziore said the City of Harare is working 24/7 to normalise water supply in its suburbs.
“We have acquired required water chemicals outside Zimbabwe which are on their way to the country. The delivery of the water treatment chemicals is expected by tomorrow Saturday. This solution is expected to last for months while efforts are being made to find lasting solutions to water challenges within the City,” he said.
